Contrary to popular belief, extreme exercise may not significantly reduce lifespan, as indicated by a study on the longevity of the initial 200 athletes who achieved a sub-4-minute mile, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
These athletes outlive the general population by several years, according to the research, marking the 70th anniversary of the groundbreaking achievement of Roger Bannister, who was the first person to run a mile under 4 minutes in May 1954.
While moderate exercise is generally considered essential for healthy aging, there has long been a concern that subjecting the body to prolonged periods of Basal Insulin Market
Pediatric Ankle Orthoses Market extreme endurance exercise could potentially shorten life expectancy. The unique group of mile runners, with their repeated bouts of near-maximal to maximal exercise, offers an opportunity to examine the potential impact of extreme intense exercise on longevity.
The researchers analyzed a database of 1,759 athletes who had run a mile under 4 minutes as of June 2022 and selected the first 200 to study, as they would likely be at an age that would either match or exceed the typical life expectancy for their generation.
The runners’ longevity was calculated from the exact date of their first successful sub-4-minute mile attempt until either their 100th birthday, the end of 2023, or death. The difference between their observed life years and their population-matched life expectancy was then averaged to determine the average difference in life expectancy between the runners and the general population, matched for age, sex, and nationality.
The first 200 sub-4 minute milers spanned a period of 20 years, from 1954 to 1974. They hailed from 28 different countries, including Europe (88), North America (78), Oceania (22), and Africa (12).
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it.